Infiniti Q50 2.0t now in showroom, Merc turbo, RM249k

Say hello to the Infiniti Q50 2.0t, the variant that will spearhead Q50 sales in Malaysia. With a Mercedes-derived 2.0 litre turbocharged engine under the hood, this is the first and only Infiniti model in our market that doesn’t come with a large naturally-aspirated engine, immediately raising its chances in a competitive segment dominated by the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

This writer was driving past the Infiniti Center on Jalan Tun Razak when he spotted two fresh units of the compact exec beside the striking red Q50 3.5 Hybrid Sport that we recently tried (stay tuned for the test drive report). Made a loop for another look and spotted 2.0t badges on the cars, which led to these pics. Fresh to the showroom, I was told.

The Q50 2.0t is powered by a 2.0 turbo engine with 211 hp and 350 Nm of torque from 1,250 to 3,500 rpm. The direct-injection four-pot is paired to a seven-speed automatic gearbox with manual mode and Downshift Rev Matching. The drivetrain is from Mercedes-Benz, and can be found in the W212 E-Class facelift. The upcoming W205 C 200 is expected to carry this combo as well.

Zero to 100 km/h is done in 7.2 seconds and top speed is 245 km/h. That’s comparable to the 184 hp/270 Nm BMW 320i, which is good for 7.3 seconds and 235 km/h. The W204 Mercedes C200 does 7.8 seconds and 235 km/h, so they’re all in the same ballpark. Like the German duo, the Q50 is a rear-wheel drive sedan. Claimed combined fuel consumption is 13.6 km/l

The Q50 2.0t Standard, at RM248,800 on-the-road without insurance, looks like good value for a CBU Japan import, and that’s before you scan the very decent spec sheet.

Should that be not enough, Infiniti is offering a RM30,000 upgrade package that includes 18-inch alloys (with obvious Enkei branding, 17-inch on Standard), a 14-speaker Bose sound system and Direct Adaptive Steering, among other things.

The latter “steer by wire” system is the headlining tech act in the Q50. Operation is entirely electric, though there’s still a mechanical link for the direct steering in the form of a safety clutch – our man Jonathan likes this pioneering system, and you can read his review of the Q50 Hybrid here.

Both the 2.0t Standard and 2.0t Premium have the regular Q50 face, as opposed to the Q50 3.5 Hybrid’s “Sport” appearance, which comes with a more aggressive front bumper and 19-inch alloys. We’re expecting the Hybrid to be priced at under RM400k, which means that it will be a rare sight. The 2.0t on the other hand, is competitively kitted and priced, and has the right drivetrain to take on the mainstream Germans.

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

It is silly to buy this car at RM249. Even today, you can get a virtually brand new 2013 BMW 520i or a 2013 Mercedes E250 for RM250k. I know because my immediate neighbour just bought a 2013 520i with just 6000KM on it plus warranty left for RM250k. The car was then 10 months old. Very good price considering a brand new 2014 BMW 520i is RM370k.

So, why should anyone pay so much of money on a car, like the Lexus, that people think is just another Japanese car on the road?

You come out of a Lexus ES250 or think Infiniti, nobody even bothers to look at you. There is NO status element. Its just the same par as a Camry or an Accord.

You see, Lexus and Infiniti is worth buying in overseas cause they are priced far far below German luxury brands. But in Malaysia, their prices are very close to German luxury brands. So, there is no incentive paying so much to get “another Japanese car”

Lexus and Infiniti are still new in Malaysia. Nobody wants it in the 2nd hand market. That is why buyers of Lexus and Infiniti lose a lot when they are selling their cars. For example, 2013 Lexus LS460L, top of the range car can be bought for RM350,000. Brand new RM800k. In 2 years, car can drop nearly RM500,000!

This Infiniti will be the same. Wait one year, you can buy this car for RM150,000.

You punched holes in your own logic. BMW 520 in year fall from RM370K to RM250K.. why?? Because
BMW is notorious for high maintenance cost and reliability below that of Japanese and even modern American brands. Some sucker paid RM370K, and hates it so much that he is so desperate as to be willing to lose RM120K on that P.O.S. after only 6,000km.

It’s simple. You want to show you can spend and afford to throw money away, sure, buy BMW. Ther are lots of people with lots of cash who don’t need to show that though.

My previous 3years second hand Bm E60 I bought at Sg $140k, new car at Sg$260/-. I thought I was lucky, then sold at Sg $80k after 4years, coz it sucks so much I paid $30k+ to fix it. That’s why beamer sold so low. Now I’m driving a E250 coupe, care free, still can sell $150k after I bouth it $170k 2years ago. Basically if it was Merc as the only care free car among German, I would go for Lexus/ Infiniti, skipping Beamer and Audi.

Well, be more open minded. More flexible in life. Be unique. Some people even buy cash land rover 1980s for their hobby, RM50,000.
Is up to you yourself what car you want to drive. You have the choice to choose. Not necessary people must follow your opinion.

only msian think that lexus or infinity is same as par as accord(teana to be exact) n camry. the only actual reason i think that lexus/infinity cant sell because of their big engine. now infinity start thinking by using downsized turbo that will give good power and efficiency.

I got some advice for Proton buyers. Proton is for the poor people of Malaysia. Those who cannot afford a Toyota or an Infiniti are losers in Malaysia who do not work hard and spend their time just surfing the Internet in the office and looking at girls.

If you work hard and stop looking at girls in the office, you will be able to afford this Infiniti and shed this low life Proton car of yours. Or worse case scenario, you can buy a Camry, the best car in the world.

Toyota just go back to Japan.
Gov should terminate UMW and let only Proton in m’sia.
Japan conti all stupid expensive AP tax and import tax and excusis tax.
Proton win all can even ran down GTR.
Single tank can go whole m’sia.

Sam Loo and Sam Lorrr have one thing in common. They are poor men trying to act rich and they are not well educated. So they were forced to work in the only job you can do with a Tadika qualification – a Toyota salesman. I pity them, sorry as**s.

finally my bf can buy this car already. I like infitnity coz cannot count like the number of bfs I had. hehehehe. I hard car can go fast. I want to go faster . anyone owning this car can pm me. maybe we go banting for drive.

price wise very competitive with new WRX…performance nearly the same but WRX will win the century sprint by a mere second. Max speed is the same. Again, its up to the driver to decide…if u want to look manly (although not that much coz doesn’t have manual tranny)choose WRX…if u want style and look classy go for this Q50

again..some fella comparing sports luxury and on the road rally bred car. both are not in the same segment laa..u cant get luxury in wrx. if the person is rich enough..he will buy both for different purpose.

I agree with what Otak Udang said. Premium Japanese cars in Malaysia still do not command the same respect as the premium Germans. One of the key reasons is because brands like Infiniti and Lexus have hardly spent much effort in marketing/advertising their cars.

You can’t expect a relatively unknown/new brand to just come in to a new market and compete with the top dogs dollar for dollar. In order to stand any chance of fighting the big boys, they have to price their cars at least 25-30% cheaper than equivalent German competitors and hopefully as time goes by, work their way up the ladder to compete with them head on. But this would normally take some time.

Looking at how the Infiniti brand is set up(one dealer to serve the whole country), I am pretty sure they would not sell in big numbers. Just think of it, if you were from Penang or Johor, would you buy an Infiniti and drive it down to KL just to service the car? Or what if the car breaks down in the middle of Kota Bahru? You would need to get a trailer service just to send it down to KL to get it fixed. It is just impractical to own such a car outside of KL.

Then again, if history repeats itself like the way Lexus and Infiniti (with the exception of Acura) in the states, it’ll take some time. The same can be said about Audi… 15 years ago, Audi was a bit of a 2nd rate brand up till the past 2 generation of cars.

Sales numbers… I don’t think it’s meant to generate huge sales for now. Who knows what Tan Chong is up to.

Service however is a big way of winning… My personal experience with Audis are well… rather mixed and Mercedes seemed quite ok. Both in Klang Valley. Never had a BMW. But the lack of service centres around the country could be its downfall but once again, who knows what Tan Chong is up to… it could well be temporary sharing with Nissan and shipping parts up from the Klang Valley.

Just test driven the high spec version of the Q50. What an awesome machine. The 14 speakers Bose sound system was fantastic. Drive and handling is superb. For almost 280k, I will take this over the ES250 or even the soon to be launched Mercedes C200 W205. Loads of safety features that is beyond this range.

Those who cant afford i feel you. Work harder perhaps. No point trolling here and say this car is just a more expensive Teana, shit car, German better. All those ah beng mentality, no wonder these kiasu ah beng are dislike by many race. Making a bad names for Chinese.

paddle shift is one of those bells and whistles you can really live without. it’s cool to know your car has it, but how many actually use it regularly on a daily-driven car? i have it on my car, but throughout 3 years of ownership, i have used it at most only 5 times.

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